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Praveen stands by account of death

Praveen Halappanavar still stands by his account of events that led to the death of his wife Dr Savita Halappanavar on October 28 in the University Hospital Galway following complications arising out of a miscarriage. This follows media reports of an Irish Times journalist who has defended her reporting of the case while admitting that the sequence of the events may have been "muddled".

The journalist Kitty Holland told a radio station she reported what Praveen told her and will await the official inquiry report.

Praveen's solicitor Gerard O'Donnell told TOI over phone from Galway that the husband certainly stands by what he's been saying since her death though medical records don't have any mention of his request for medical termination of pregnancy. There were three requests by him and one in the presence of an independent witness, said O'Donnell.

Hundreds of pro-life campaigners have seized this twist in the case and protested outside the lower house of Parliament, claiming the Irish Times story could lead to legalisation of abortion in Ireland.

When asked about alleged discrepancies about when Savita was given antibiotics, Ms Holland told Newstalk radio programme 'Coleman at Large': "All one can surmise is that his (Praveen's) recollection of events - the actual timeline and days - may be a little muddled." She was reported on the RTE website on Monday as saying Praveen is "a credible witness".

O'Donnell said, "We'd like a public inquiry where we can cross-examine Savita's doctors and nursing staff under oath. Only then can we hope to get a correct picture of what exactly happened."